La question (album)

Last updated • 16 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
La question
La question.png
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 16, 1971
Studio
  • Studio CBE
  • Studio Davout
Paris, France
Genre
Length32:25
Language French
Label Sonopresse
Françoise Hardy chronology
Soleil
(1970)
La question
(1971)
4th English Album
(1971)
Singles from La question
  1. "Le martien" / "Chanson d'O"
    Released: Summer 1971
  2. "Même sous la pluie" / "La question"
    Released: October 1971
  3. "Rêve" / "Poisson"
    Released: March 1972

La question (pronounced [lakɛstjɔ̃] ; French for "The question") is the eleventh studio album by French singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy, released in October 1971 on Sonopresse. Like many of her previous records, it was originally released without a title and came to be referred to, later on, by the name of its most popular song. It is her second album produced under Hypopotam, a production company she established in 1970. The music on the album was almost entirely composed by the Brazilian musician Tuca, who supervised the project and participated as a guitarist.

Contents

One of her most sparsely produced albums, La question combines Hardy's sensual vocals with bossa nova-tinged guitar playing, touches of bass and subtle string arrangements. Lyrically, it encompasses themes of love, anxiety, eroticism and fear, attributed to instabilities in her relationship with Jacques Dutronc at that time. While the album was not well received by French audiences and radio stations upon release, it earned the acclaim of critics and came to be viewed as a turning point in Hardy's career, in which she moved toward a less commercial and more mature style. The album has since attained cult status, and is celebrated as one of the most important works in Hardy's discography.

Background

Hardy in December 1969 Franse zangeres-actrice Francoise Hardy in Amsterdam, Bestanddeelnr 923-0820.jpg
Hardy in December 1969

Hardy made her musical debut in the early 1960s on Disques Vogue and was an immediate success as one of the most prominent figures of the yé-yé phenomenon. During the decade, she "found herself at the very forefront of the French music scene", and became "France's most exportable female singing star", recording in various languages, appearing in several movies, touring throughout Europe, and gaining admiration from musicians such as Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger. [2] In 1962, the singer met photographer Jean-Marie Périer, with whom she engaged in a romantic relationship until 1967. Périer - who has been described as "a veritable Pygmalion for the young singer" - helped her to develop a more modern personal style and persuaded her to begin modelling; Hardy soon became a popular fashion icon as well. [2] In 1969, she became embroiled in a lengthy legal battle with her record label, Disques Vogue, and saw the closure of her own production company, Productions Aspargus. [2] The company had faced the resistance of the label's executives, and Hardy's decision to no longer perform live as well as sign with Sonopresse further aggravated the situation. [3] As the yé-yé era drew to a close in the late 1960s, Hardy sought to reinvent herself, beginning by casting off the fashionable girl next door image that Périer had created for her. In an effort to reflect her inner self to a greater extent, the singer also abandoned the "cute" and catchy compositions that had characterized her repertoire up to that point. [2] [4] In the albums that immediately preceded La question, Hardy had begun to work with more accomplished songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, [5] Serge Gainsbourg, [3] and Patrick Modiano. [6] In 1970, she founded the production company Hypopotam, and its first album, Soleil, was released the same year.

Development

"Usually, when we record an album, we do not have time to rework the songs before with the composer. We ended up learning them alone in a corner and running the risk of acquiring bad habits which it would later be difficult to get rid of. Then we sang for the first time in the recording studio without being necessarily well prepared, and the recording of a song took only an hour or two at most. With Tuca, everything was different."

— Françoise Hardy, 2008. [5]

Towards the early 1970s, Hardy met Valeniza Zagni da Silva - known by the pseudonym Tuca - a Brazilian singer and guitarist based in Paris, who performed every night at a Brazilian restaurant called La Feijoada. [7] They met through Lena, another Brazilian woman based in Paris and an intimate friend of the singer. Lena comforted Hardy as she went through a "[tormenting]" period caused by instabilities in her relationship with fellow musician Jacques Dutronc. [8] Among the personnel listed on the album's liner notes, the name "Pinocchio" is credited as "catalyzer". [9] This period also marked the beginning of Hardy's renowned involvement with astrology, partly also thanks to the support of the Brazilian. [2] [8] Tuca and Hardy connected very well; the singer later described their meeting as "love at first sight, personally and artistically speaking." [10] After attending the Festival Internacional da Canção in Rio de Janeiro – and having come into contact with the music of Brazil – Hardy decided to work with Tuca. [8] [11] The singer was particularly infatuated with "Même sous la pluie", a song Tuca had made for another artist but eventually gave to Hardy. [10]

Tuca wound up composing the music for all but one song in the album, "Doigts", and rehearsed them with Hardy every day for a month before entering the studio. This was an atypical process for Hardy, as "all [her] previous albums were developed in the studio, leaving no time for [the singer] to work with the composer and explore different interpretive paths." [5] [8] [12] She recorded the album with Tuca on guitar, Guy Pedersen on bass, and Bernard Estardy behind the console, finishing each track after three takes. [11] [13] At the time of the recording, Tuca was also suffering from an unrequited love that would shape the album's content, as she wanted to be with the Italian actress Lea Massari, who was not a lesbian. [14] After the recording sessions, the duo took a break in Corsica, returning later to compose the string arrangements. [14] For this, Tuca played different themes on a piano for Hardy; once they were chosen, Raymond Donnez was asked to write them. [13] Thus, the making of La question also marked the first time Hardy "participated in such a crucial choice." [15] Catherine Lara – a violinist the singer met through Claude Nougaro – contacted the Orchestra of Paris, where she performed, to play the string arrangements. [8] [15] Lara was a close friend of Hardy, and continued to collaborate with her throughout that decade. [2]

Composition

La question is one of Hardy's "most sparsely produced efforts," the result of Tuca's "characteristically delicate and uncluttered arrangements" that accompany the singer with an acoustic guitar, touches of bass, and subtle orchestration. [17] [18] It showcases a distancing from the usual pop framework of Hardy's earlier releases, adopting "richer melodies and unexpected variations in rhythm." [5] Through Tuca's guitar playing, the album incorporates elements of Brazilian music, most notably bossa nova. [5] [8] [19] [20] Nevertheless, Hardy was reluctant to produce an album of pure Brazilian music, stating that she disliked traditional music. [8] Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe, writing for the Red Bull Music Academy, described the album as "a marvellous dialogue between French pop and Brazilian saudade ". [21] Writing for PopMatters , Matt James felt that with La question - and albums Soleil (1970) and If You Listen (1972) - Hardy "smartly [reinvented] herself as an elusive folk rock jazz chanteuse." [22] Raymond Donnez's string arrangements have been described as "lush", "dark" and "intense". [5] [17] [23] The singer's vocals have been called "sultry" and "breathy", at times "[substituting] melodic humming in the place of singing, wordlessly articulating the emotional essence of the song." [18] According to The Guardian , "La question defines the sound that polite people call 'after hours'." [23] The record's lyrics - the work of Hardy, Pascal Bilat, Franck Gérald and G.G. - address themes of love, anxiety, eroticism, and fear. [5] [8] The instabilities in the relationship between the singer and her future husband, Jacques Dutronc, have been identified as being responsible for the adoption of this tone. [7] [24]

Songs

The album opens in a "dramatic" tone with "Viens" ("Come"), which was "designed to grab the listener's attention." [18] Its lyrics are "a first-person plea for passionate love", with Hardy singing: "Come/My heart has always given its all/I've been burned many times/But I'm not afraid of suffering [again]." [5] The song has been noted for its "ambitious use of the strings," used to reflect the tension expressed in its lyrics. [24] Regarding the track, 50thirdand3rd considered that: "The intensity of the string arrangement reflects both the inner tension and desire, the bass echoes the throbbing beat of a heart in heat, but what really makes this song is Françoise Hardy's wordless vocalizations." [5] "Viens" is followed by the title track, which "[establishes] the album's elegant dreamlike mood." [18] Hardy's lyrics deal with uncertainty, [8] reflecting on the "distance that develops between two people despite one's best efforts." [5] Expressing a sense of misfortune, and the inability to remedy it, she sings: "I don't know why I stay in a sea that makes me drown/I don't know why I stay in air that will get me choked/You're the blood of my wound, you're the fire of my burns/You're my question without an answer, my mute cry and my silence." [24] These last lines stress the narrator's "existential isolation". Her phrasing is much more flexible than in her previous pop songs, as she "[elongates] and [spaces] syllables behind and ahead of the beat", while Tuca's offbeat guitar is "syncopated to the natural flow of emotion instead of paying strict attention to the bars or the time signature." [5] Hardy chose to abandon the lyrics for "Chanson d'O" ("Song of O"), opting for what have been described as "ecstatic vocalizations", including "sighs, growls and groans of pleasure." The song is considered a reference to Histoire d'O , an erotic novel published in 1954 that dealt with female submission. [5] [24] "Le martien" ("The Martian") has a "dreamy" and surreal atmosphere, with an "otherworldly" background created through breaths and traditional instruments. The lyrics for the song are about a Martian who descends from the sky to ask for the hand of the narrator. [8]

Written by Hardy, the lyrics of "Mer" ("Sea") concern suicide in a gentle manner, as she intones: "I would love to fall asleep in the sea—magical, original, in its essential rhythm. I would love the sea to take me back to be reborn—elsewhere than inside my head, somewhere other than the earth, where without my love I can do nothing." [5] [24] The song's string arrangements imitate the tide of the sea, "both menacing and welcoming", like the possibility of killing oneself. [24] Similarly to "Viens", the lyrics on "Oui, je dis adieu" ("Yes, I Say Goodbye") describe the rupture of a couple, as Hardy sings: "Your show and your emptiness/Your weaknesses and your tiredness/Don't mean anything to me anymore/With you I am not anything", and "Without a future or present/I don't feel like it anymore/That waste of my time". [24] "Doigts" ("Fingers") has been considered the most sensual song in the album, as its lyrics "describe the art of communication through touch." It is followed by "La maison" ("The House"), an "[intensely melancholic]" track in which Hardy combines singing with spoken word. [5] The main melody of "Si mi caballero" ("Yes My Gentleman") is both sung and whistled. [25] "Bâti mon nid" ("Built My Nest") has been described as "a lively Brazilian jazz piece featuring a female-male vocal duet, an energetic double bass line and wonderful syncopation." [5] With its "la-la-la" chorus, the song presents a "particularly catchy" moment of the album. [18] Closing track "Rêve" ("Dream") is a cover of "A transa", a song by Taiguara. Author Richie Unterberger felt that "Hardy curbs the fussiest excesses of the original, and adds some pretty enchanting cloud-drifting scat vocals through most of the arrangement." [16] It also features a "la-la-la" refrain, [18] followed by Hardy's lyrics: "You marvel me like a dream/That finally came true/And you hurt me like a dream/I shall awake from". [7] The "progrescent passage" of the almost instrumental track has been noted for its resemblance to "The Court of the Crimson King", a 1969 song by King Crimson. [25]

Release

La question was released as a LP record on October 16, 1971, on Sonopresse. [26] [9] That year, the album was also released in Spain on Hispavox, [27] in Mexico on Gamma, [28] in Australia on Interfusion, [29] in the Netherlands on CBS, [30] and in Canada on Reprise Records. [31] Due to its sensuality – and consequent associations with the erotic novel Histoire d'O – the track "Chanson d'O" was threatened with prohibition in Spain, prompting an irritated Hardy to state: "How could I do porn? It is absurd." [8] In South Africa, the album was released under the title Rêve on MVN. [32] The album received the title Un recueil de mes poésies ("A collection of my poems") in Japan, where it was released in 1974 on Epic. [33] Sonopresse released three 7" record singles from La question: "Le martien" and "Même sous la pluie" in 1971, [34] [35] and "Rêve" in 1972. [36] The latter contained "Poisson" as its B-side, a previously unreleased track written by Jacques Blanchard. [36] The album was first reissued as a compact disc (CD) in 1988 on record label Flarenasch, under the title Viens. [37]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [17]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [38]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [39]
Music StoryStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg[ citation needed ]
Nightfall.frStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [25]

La question was highly acclaimed by the French press upon its initial release. [2] [40] However, it sold poorly in comparison to other works by the singer, [2] [41] as it received little promotion in television, and failed to gain traction in radio stations and among audiences at the time. [8] [42] According to Radio France Internationale, the singer "appeared to be completely unperturbed by poor album sales, preferring to find an audience who respected her true self rather than millions of adoring fans who were seduced by a superficial image." [2] In her autobiography, Hardy wrote:

"This record seemed to me to be more homogeneous, with more class and sophistication than the others, and if it did not find, unlike the others, the success of the general public, I pretend to believe it reached another. An example: in the 1980s, I quickly met Suzanne Vega and she recognized me thanks to that album that her brother often listened to. On another occasion, I was going to Japan and journalists confessed their predilection for this album. An ambitious album is more or less unnoticed on its release, but it continues to exist for a long time." [15]

In retrospect, La question has continued to receive generally positive reviews. Writing for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger lauded the album, choosing "La question", "Le martien" and "Bâti mon nid" as the album's most representative tracks, and writing: "As fireside romantic music goes, it beats the hell out of José Feliciano." [17] In 2015, he also stated that La question is "easily her strongest post-mid-1960s album, not to mention one of the all-time makeout records." [16] The Quietus , Télérama , PopMatters, Pitchfork and Indie Hoy agreed to call it Hardy's masterpiece. [8] [43] [44] [20] [45] Writing for the Brazilian online magazine Obvious, Vitor Dirami considered it "one of the most sophisticated and conceptual records of her career." [46] French website Nightfall.fr gave La question a five-out-of-five stars rating, describing it as "an album whose beauty is more than resplendent." [25] Qobuz Magazine considered that the album remains Hardy's best effort, [24] as did Ferran Llauradó of Rockdelux . [47]

Legacy

"La question transformed French perceptions of Françoise Hardy; the sweet girl next door had become a woman—vibrant, alive and wise beyond her years. With [the album, she] took a risk she did not have to take: she could have easily continued recording nice pop tunes until she reached her sworn retirement age of fifty. Fortunately for us, the connection she made with Tuca triggered the dormant potential inside, and together they created a timeless work of art—erotic, sensual and intensely beautiful."

— 50thirdand3rd reviewing the album in 2015. [5]

Despite its poor commercial performance upon release, La question has generated a dedicated cult following over the years, [8] [19] [45] remaining a classic among her fans for its "lyrical sensuality and sophisticated arrangements." [48] It is considered Hardy's artistic peak and "an unquestionable member of the French pop canon". [49] Matt James of PopMatters felt that something in the album "remains magical, untouchable, consistently influential and thus perhaps even quietly revolutionary." [22] Indie Hoy described it in 2021 as a "cult record still unfairly underrated by Anglo-centric music critics and undoubtedly a culminating work of French pop of all time." [45] Reissuing the album in 2016, EMI stated: "La question has become a virtual calling-card for Hardy and has proven to be extremely influential on the modern French pop scene." The review also read: "Although she's had albums that were more successful, sales-wise, [the album] continues to be embraced by new generations of music fans." [50] Writer Syd Fablo felt that the album "[puts] forward [a musical persona] that [was] unique to the heyday second-wave feminism—not in terms of overt feminist militancy but instead (and somewhat paradoxically) by being unassuming thinking-woman's music of a kind that simply wasn't given much of an airing in prior times." [51]

Writers agree that the album represents an important turning point in Hardy's career, moving towards a more mature style and abandoning her more commercial efforts of her yé-yé period. [4] [5] [8] Pitchfork's Jazz Monroe wrote that the "spare, haunting [album] might be the first truly personal Françoise Hardy record." [52] The singer has acknowledged this, stating: "I was never as proud of a work as with this record, it was my best album, classic and sophisticated." [7] She also reflected in a 2012 interview:

"[During the 1960s] radios were practicing a real hype, much more than today. We, the singers were far, far fewer than today - and there were fewer radios. It was also the heyday of Salut les copains , and the press played an extremely important role, it could promote beginners. [...] At the same time, fashion had become increasingly important, it had never been. [...]

However, I felt that we were not very popular with the previous generation, or with some journalists. I never felt a great sympathy, a great receptivity in someone like Denise Glaser especially. Or Pierre Dumayet (among others), who wanted to pinch us over our ignorance—we often came from relatively poor working classes, while the next wave of Alain Souchon, Véronique Sanson, Michel Berger, Julien Clerc came from... the bourgeoisie. I felt oddly legitimized in the early 1970s, when I made [La question]. This album did not work at all but I felt that I was moved to another stage, and I was interesting people I had never interested before." [41]

The album was influential to Greg Gonzalez, leader of the American dream pop group Cigarettes After Sex, who cited Hardy as his favorite singer and stated: "La question is just so perfect, I wanted that kind of beauty." [53] Musicians Suzanne Vega and Keren Ann have also expressed their admiration for the album. [54] American singer-songwriter Alyssa Graham called Hardy a "constant source of inspiration," and wrote: "La question is brilliantly produced and offers everything you could ever want from this dreamy and stunning artist." [55] British publication The Guardian included the album in its list of the "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die," describing it as "the most sensual record in the whole canon." [23] Belgian music journalist Gilles Verlant listed La question as one of the 300 Best Albums in the History of Rock.[ citation needed ]

Track listing

Side A
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Viens"Pascal BilatTuca2:11
2."La question"Françoise HardyTuca3:00
3."Même sous la pluie"Franck GéraldTuca2:01
4."Chanson d'O"Bob du PacTuca3:14
5."Le martien"Franck GéraldTuca2:44
6."Mer"Françoise HardyTuca2:04
Total length:15:14
Side B
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Oui, je dis adieu"Françoise HardyTuca4:02
2."Doigts"Françoise HardyFrançoise Hardy1:25
3."La maison"G. G.Tuca2:51
4."Si mi caballero"Franck GéraldTuca3:00
5."Bâti mon nid"Franck GéraldTuca2:53
6."Rêve"Françoise Hardy Taiguara 3:00
Total length:17:11

Personnel

Credits adapted from La question's liner notes and AllMusic, except where otherwise noted. [17] [9]

See also

Notes

  1. Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2017). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 15, 2023. ...most notably on 1971's bossa nova–tinged masterwork La Question...
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Françoise Hardy - Biography". Radio France Internationale. March 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Lima, Carlos Eduardo (October 17, 2014). "Françoise Hardy e Suas Meninas" (in Portuguese). Monkeybuzz. MTV Brasil . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Galán, Lola (February 15, 2013). "La 'chanson' de la musa madura". El País (in Spanish). Ediciones El País, S.L. Retrieved October 27, 2016. Atrás quedan los temas de su primera etapa, cancioncillas pegadizas de las que abomina. Hasta La question, de 1971, a partir de la cual se inicia una segunda época de la que sí está orgullosa.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Classic Music Review: La Question by Françoise Hardy". 50thirdand3rd. May 27, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  6. "Françoise Hardy, de l'idole à l'icône". L'Express (in French). Groupe Altice Média. November 13, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Blay, Milton (April 1, 2014). Direto de Paris: coq au vin com feijoada (in Portuguese). Editora Contexto. p. 27. ISBN   9788572448543.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rigoulet, Laurent (April 9, 2016). "Françoise Hardy en question". Télérama (in French). Groupe Le Monde. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 La question (LP). Françoise Hardy. Sonopresse. 1971. HY. 30902.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. 1 2 Hardy, 2008. p. 129
  11. 1 2 Hardy, 2008. p. 136
  12. Delassein, Sophie (November 11, 2013). "Françoise Hardy: "La première fois que j'ai vu Michel Berger..."". L'Obs (in French). Groupe Nouvel Observateur. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Françoise Hardy, Valli (December 15, 2012). Pop etc (Radio show) (in French). France Inter.
  14. 1 2 Hardy, 2008. p. 137
  15. 1 2 3 4 Hardy, 2008. p. 139
  16. 1 2 3 Unterberger, Richie (December 3, 2015). "Françoise Hardy: Les Versions Originales". Folkrocks. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Unterberger, Richie. "La Question". AllMusic. All Media Network . Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ballon, John (October 6, 2008). "Françoise Hardy - La question". MustHear. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Varrod, Didier (July 16, 2016). "Comment te dire Hardy" (in French). France Inter . Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  20. 1 2 Hogan, Marc (August 22, 2017). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  21. Deluxe, Jean-Emmanuel (February 17, 2014). "Yé-Yé: An Introduction". Red Bull Music Academy . Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  22. 1 2 James, Matt (March 21, 2014). "Message Personnel (40th Anniversary Edition)". PopMatters . Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 "Artists beginning with H (part 1)". The Guardian. November 19, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Françoise Hardy - La Question". Qobuz Magazine (in French). Qobuz. June 18, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Smoke, Walter (June 2, 2014). "Françoise HARDY - La Question (1971)" (in French). Nightfall.fr. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  26. Weiner, Judith (October 25, 1971). "Interview". France-Soir (in French). Paris. p. 19.
  27. La question (LP). Françoise Hardy. Spain: Hispavox. 1971. HXS 001-24.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. La question (LP). Françoise Hardy. Mexico: Gamma. 1971. GX 01-508.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. La question (LP). Françoise Hardy. Australia: Interfusion. 1971. SITFL 934 441.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. La question (LP). Françoise Hardy. Netherlands: CBS. 1971. S 64786.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. La question (LP). Françoise Hardy. Canada: Reprise Records. 1971. RSC 8006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. Rêve (LP). Françoise Hardy. South Africa: MVN. 1972. MVC 3538.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. Un recueil de mes poésies (LP). Françoise Hardy. Japan: Epic. 1974. ECPM 47.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. Le martien (7" single). Françoise Hardy. France: Sonopresse. 1971. HY 45.908.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. Même sous la pluie (7" single). Françoise Hardy. France: Sonopresse. 1971. HY 45.909.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. 1 2 Rêve (7" single). Françoise Hardy. France: Sonopresse. 1972. HY 45.910.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. Viens (CD album). Françoise Hardy. France: Flarenasch. 1988. 728.693.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 2624. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  39. Weingarten, Marc (1999). "Françoise Hardy". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (second ed.). Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 526. ISBN   1578590612.
  40. "Deep Dive: Françoise Hardy, LA QUESTION". Rhino Entertainment. January 17, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  41. 1 2 Lehoux, Valérie (April 28, 2012). "La vie en musique de Françoise Hardy". Télérama (in French). Groupe Le Monde. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  42. Lesueur, 2015. p. 1938
  43. McKenna, David (January 22, 2016). "Vague Terrains: Rockfort On In Paradisum & Françoise Hardy". The Quietus . Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  44. "The 25 Best Album Re-Issues of 2013". PopMatters. December 16, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  45. 1 2 3 Allermann, Juan Ignacio (October 15, 2021). "Françoise Hardy y los 50 años de La question, su obra maestra de culto". Indie Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  46. Dirami, Vitor. "Françoise Hardy: Os tempos do amor". Obvious Magazine (in Portuguese). Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  47. Llauradó, Ferran (March 2014). "Françoise Hardy. "Message personnel"". Rockdelux (in Spanish). Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  48. O'hagan, Sean (April 29, 2018). "Françoise Hardy: 'I sing about death in a symbolic, even positive way'". The Guardian . Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  49. "La question (1971), de Françoise Hardy" (in Spanish). Efe Eme. May 30, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  50. EMI. "Françoise Hardy - La question: Editorial Reviews". Amazon.com . Retrieved November 5, 2016. CD reissue of the French Pop superstar's 1971 album, one of her finest and most distinctive efforts. Initially considered a departure from her more commercial hits from the '60s, La Question has become a virtual calling-card for Hardy and has proven to be extremely influential on the modern French Pop scene. Though sparse in it's[ sic ] execution, the album demands the listener's attention and offers more of it's[ sic ] secrets with each additional spin. Although she's had albums that were more successful, sales-wise, La Question continues to be embraced by new generations of music fans. 12 tracks including 'Chanson D'O' and 'Le Martien'
  51. Fablo, Syd (November 25, 2016). "Nara Leão — Dez anos depois". Rock Salted. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  52. Monroe, Jazz (April 13, 2018). "Françoise Hardy: Personne d'autre". Pichfork . Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  53. Cacouris, Christina (February 17, 2016). "The Diehard Romanticism of Cigarettes After Sex". Noisey. Vice . Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  54. Perrin, Ludovic; Franck, Monnet (July 12, 2009). Françoise Hardy, le temps d'après les yéyés (in French). La Rochelle, France: Le Hall de la chanson. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  55. Graham, Alyssa (November 21, 2011). "Alyssa Graham recommends Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy". Rock Torch. Retrieved November 21, 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Françoise Hardy</span> French singer (1944–2024)

Françoise Madeleine Hardy was a French singer-songwriter and actress who was known for singing melancholic, sentimental ballads. Hardy rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a leading figure in French yé-yé music and became a cultural icon in France and internationally. In addition to her native French, she also sang in English, Italian, and German. Her musical career spanned more than 50 years, with over 30 studio albums released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Baby Nothing</span> Song by Manic Street Preachers

"Little Baby Nothing" is a song recorded by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers for their debut studio album, Generation Terrorists (1992). It was released on 9 November 1992 by Columbia Records as the sixth and final single from the album. The song features guest vocals by American actress and singer Traci Lords.

Yé-yé or yeyé was a style of pop music that emerged in Western and Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term yé-yé was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as the Beatles. The style expanded worldwide as the result of the success of figures such as French singer-songwriters Sylvie Vartan, Serge Gainsbourg and Françoise Hardy. Yé-yé was a particular form of counterculture that derived most of its inspiration from British and American rock and roll. Additional stylistic elements of yé-yé song composition include baroque, exotica, pop, jazz and the French chanson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When I Fall in Love</span> Song from One Minute to Zero

"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Better the Devil You Know</span> 1990 single by Kylie Minogue

"Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album Rhythm of Love (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and was released as the album's lead single on 30 April 1990 by PWL and Mushroom Records. "Better the Devil You Know" is known as the song that re-invented Minogue with more sex appeal, as her previous albums were presented with her "girl next door" persona. Her music onwards presented a more independent approach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mi Chico Latino</span> Geri Halliwell single

"Mi Chico Latino", is a song by English singer Geri Halliwell for her debut solo album Schizophonic (1999). It was written by Halliwell, Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, whilst produced by the latter two, who are known collectively as Absolute. "Mi Chico Latino" was released as the album's second single on 16 August 1999 by EMI Records. It is a Latin pop song that is centred on a lost love theme. The song was written by Halliwell in order to pay homage to her mother, who has Spanish background, whilst it also has a number of Spanish lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Vie en rose</span> 1947 song by Édith Piaf

"La Vie en rose" is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the Billboard charts. These recordings were made by Tony Martin, Paul Weston, Bing Crosby, Ralph Flanagan, Victor Young, Dean Martin, and Louis Armstrong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Véronique Sanson</span> French singer-songwriter

Véronique Marie Line Sanson is a three-time Victoires de la Musique award-winning French singer-songwriter and record producer with an avid following in her native country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)</span> 1984 single by Jennifer Rush

"The Power of Love" is a pop song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released in December 1984 by CBS Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan, and Celine Dion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ce n'était qu'un rêve</span> 1981 single by Celine Dion

"Ce n'était qu'un rêve" is a French-language song by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It is her debut single, released on 11 June 1981 in Quebec, Canada and included on her first album, La voix du bon Dieu (1981). "Ce n'était qu'un rêve" was written by Dion, her mother Thérèse and brother Jacques, and produced by Daniel Hétu and René Angélil. The single reached number eight in Quebec. In 2005, "Ce n'était qu'un rêve" was featured on Dion's greatest hits compilation, On ne change pas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'amour s'en va</span> 1963 song by Françoise Hardy

"L'amour s'en va" is a song composed, written, and performed by French singer-songwriter and actress Françoise Hardy. It represented Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963, she recorded it in other languages, gained chart success in Belgium, won France's prestigious award Grand Prix du Disque, and over time it has become one of Hardy's signature songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All I Ask of You</span> 1986 single by Sarah Brightman and Cliff Richard

"All I Ask of You" is a song from the 1986 English musical The Phantom of the Opera, between characters Christine Daaé and Raoul, originally played on stage by Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton, respectively. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, and solely produced by Lloyd Webber. An operatic pop piece, its lyrics serve as dialogue between the two characters and discuss themes such as commitment and romance. Like Lloyd Webber's song "The Music of the Night", "All I Ask of You" was compared to the music found in Giacomo Puccini's 1910 opera La fanciulla del West.

<i>Mon amie la rose</i> 1964 song by Françoise Hardy

"Mon amie la rose" is a poem written by Cécile Caulier and Jacques Lacome, originally performed in song by French singer Françoise Hardy in 1964. It became one of Hardy's most popular songs, and was collected on her album Mon amie la rose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On est tous des imbéciles</span> 1985 single by Mylène Farmer

"On est tous des imbéciles" is a 1984 song recorded by French artist Mylène Farmer. It was released in February 1985 as her second single after "Maman a tort" and its English-translated version "My Mum Is Wrong". Although the song was provocative and rather critical of show business, it was often well received in the media. However, in spite of good reviews and an intense promotion on television by the singer, the sales of the single were disappointing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liane Foly</span> French singer

Liane Foly is a popular French blues and jazz singer, actress, presenter and impressionist.

<i>Tous les garçons et les filles</i> (album) 1962 studio album by Françoise Hardy

Tous les garçons et les filles is the debut studio album by French singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy, released in November 1962 on Disques Vogue. Like many of her following records, it was originally released without a title and to be referred to, later on, by the name of its most popular song. Released when Hardy was 18 years old, the album was a commercial success and "went on to top charts". It was originally released in the United States under the title The "Yeh-Yeh" Girl From Paris! in 1965 on "proto-world music label" Four Corners.

<i>ButterFly</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1974 studio album by Barbra Streisand

ButterFly is the sixteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released on October 1, 1974, by Columbia Records, it marked Streisand's first album of entirely new material in over three years. Primarily a contemporary pop record recorded throughout 1974, it also incorporates music from the reggae and R&B genres. All of the tracks on ButterFly are cover songs produced by Streisand's then-boyfriend Jon Peters, originating from artists like Bob Marley, David Bowie, Evie Sands, and Graham Nash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We're Not Makin' Love Anymore</span> 1989 single by Barbra Streisand

"We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" is a song recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand for her fourth greatest hits album, A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More (1989). It was released on September 14, 1989 by Columbia Records on 7-inch, 12-inch, cassette, and CD. It was written by Michael Bolton and Diane Warren and produced by Narada Michael Walden. Bolton's inspiration for the song was derived from his divorce; he and Warren debated what singer would be able to sing their work well and ultimately decided that Streisand would be the right fit. The song is a ballad that is similar in sound to Streisand's "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" (1981).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">En la Intimidad (Thalía song)</span> 1991 song by Thalía

"En la Intimidad" is a song by Mexican singer Thalía, released in 1992 as the third single from the album Mundo de Cristal. The song and its music video caused controversy due to the provocative and sensual lyrics but was successful on the charts of the Mexican newspaper El Siglo de Torreón.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuca (musician)</span> Musical artist

Tuca was a Brazilian guitarist, songwriter, and singer. She is best known for her collaborations with Françoise Hardy on Hardy's album La Question, and with Nara Leao on Leao's album Dez Anos Depois, both released in 1971.

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